LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- On April 10, 2023, the nightmare that had gripped countless schools, businesses and communities across America arrived at home. A mass shooting at Old National Bank in downtown Louisville claimed five lives — a group of mothers and fathers, husbands and wives who'd started their week like any other.
A lot has happened in the year since that fateful day, people trying to take their sorrow and turn it into inspiration and hope for others.
So, one year later, WDRB News hopes to honor the victims of the Old National Bank shooting and tell their stories. Who were the heroes who ran toward the gunfire? How did that day change the fight for new gun laws in Kentucky? What memories do survivors hold dear and how have their lives changed?
Below is a collection of 12 stories of people impacted by that day — short snippets from each and a link to the full piece.
April 10, 2023, was one of the darkest days in Louisville's history. Here's why it still matters.
1 year after the Old National Bank shooting took her husband, Louisville woman cherishes the life they built
By: Monica Harkins
Josh Barrick joked about playing hooky April 10, 2023, his wife remembers.
He never did that, Jessica Barrick says now, but the family had just returned from a spring break trip to the beach, and he was slow to get out of bed and get back to work.
"We both knew he was gonna go to work," she said in a interview nearly a year later.
After Barrick dropped off their two kids at school, her husband called her on the phone to talk as he made his way to work, something that wasn't a normal part of their routine but now sticks out in her memory as the last time she talked to him alive.
"We're just chit-chatting and said 'I love you' and hung up," Barrick said. "And I mean that was like, I don't know 15-20 minutes later, he was just gone. ... He's literally right there and then he's just gone."
Josh Barrick was one of several people who'd just sat down in a conference room for an 8:30 a.m. meeting at Old National Bank in downtown Louisville when Connor Sturgeon, a 25-year-old former employee, opened fire with a rifle, killing five bank employees and injuring either others.
Dana Mitchell, who survived being shot in the back inside the conference room, said Josh Barrick ran for the door right behind someone who made it out safely, Mitchell said. A split second made the difference.
"I was afraid to call him in case he was hiding," Barrick said, thinking back on those first moments. "I didn't want it to ring."
She texted him frantically and eventually called, too. There was no answer.
"I just knew when I hadn't heard from him," Barrick said. "I already knew but I didn't want to know."
Josh Barrick joked about playing hooky April 10, 2023, his wife remembers.
Louisville's mayor pleads for change, remains hopeful 1 year removed from mass shooting
By: Dalton Godbey
Craig Greenberg was driving his normal commute to work on April 10, 2023. It was warm and sunny. The typical April day in Kentucky.
Before Louisville's mayor arrived to Metro Hall, everything shifted.
The passing minutes and hours would reveal details of one of the most tragic days in Louisville's history. A 25-year-old former employee of Old National Bank, Connor Sturgeon, was identified as the suspect responsible for the mass shooting. Five employees were gunned down and killed. Eight others, including two LMPD officers, were shot and hurt.
Greenberg spent that day — and the coming days — in front of television cameras, reporters and Louisville residents, encouraging healing and change. One year removed from the mass shooting, Greenberg's approach hasn't changed.
"People forget, far too soon, the long lasting trauma and impact of gun violence," he said in an interview in February. "It's why I remain so committed to doing everything I can, as an advocate, as a mayor, as a father, as a husband, as a citizen, to work to change laws in our country that will reduce gun violence."
Greenberg has assumed weight of responsibility as Louisville's mayor: to eliminate gun violence in the city. His passion for gun reform — which sometimes evolves to frustration — can be traced back to February 2022 when he dodged an assassination attempt in the heat of his mayoral campaign.
"Every day, I still think about it," he said.
Before Louisville's mayor arrived to Metro Hall on April 10, everything shifted.
A year after his life changed forever, Louisville police Officer Nick Wilt already making 'major progress'
By: Stephan Johnson
April 10, 2023, changed the city of Louisville — and the lives of the Wilt family — forever.
"After I saw the video the first time they showed us in the hospital, the first thing I said is 'Look, his hands aren't shaking,'" said Jennifer Wilt, Nick's mother. "He was never nervous."
"We've asked him (what happened) and he says he does not remember. In the hospital, he did tell (his brother) Zach he did remember. He thought that somebody was still after him."
Rushing to the scene, putting his own life on the line and eliminating the threat. Nick Wilt is the definition of a hero.
"And I've talked to him about that," Jennifer Wilt said. "I said 'You know you ran straight in.' He's like 'That's what we do.' He said 'We have to interfere.' I said 'You saved lives because you did that. You distracted the person who was committing that crime.' And he said 'That's what we do.'"
Nick Wilt was released from the hospital in July and continues to make progress.
"It's slow," Jennifer Wilt said. "But they told us that it would be two years before we start to see major progress, and we've started seeing it within the first year."
"Is he up to what he was before the injured? No. But ... he's making jokes, he's starting to laugh, he's having the responses."
And he has started appearing in public more, like when he received a law enforcement Purple Heart and several other awards at the annual Louisville Metro Police Foundation awards celebration in March.
"An honor every single time, to recognize him, to keep his story going, his sacrifice," Zach Wilt said.
Ten days after graduating from the Louisville Metro Police Training Academy, Officer Nick Wilt was riding alongside his partner, Office Cory Galloway were on a morning patrol when the call came over dispatch.
Survivor of Old National Bank mass shooting attempts to move forward, battling the memories 1 year later
By: Monica Harkins
Dana Mitchell survived the Old National Bank shooting, but that day will live with her for the rest of her life.
She had just sat down in the conference room at Old National Bank in downtown Louisville on Monday, April 10, 2023, with other bank executives. They were getting ready to start an 8:30 a.m. meeting. Mitchell looked over her shoulder and saw her coworker, 25-year-old Connor Sturgeon with a rifle but her brain didn't recognize the threat until a few seconds later.
"My first thought was 'He bought a gun and brought it in to show us,'" Mitchell said nearly a year later. "It did not occur to me that he was going to use it. When you see someone, you don't automatically go to the worst-case scenario."
Mitchell said she then saw the unthinkable.
"I just reacted as quickly as I could," she said. "And the person next to me ran and he was able to get out. Josh (Barrick) was right behind him and Josh didn't make it. So, I mean, literally split seconds made a difference."
Mitchell dove to the ground and tried to crawl out of the direct line of fire. Still, she was hit in the back.
"I remember thinking it was hot and I knew that I had been shot," she said. "I don't remember pain. I just remember laying there thinking, 'Is this really happening? Is this really happening?'"
Dana Mitchell survived the Old National Bank shooting, but that day will live with her for the rest of her life.
Louisville officers running toward Old National Bank shooter 'didn't flinch,' police chief says
By: Stephan Johnson
Louisville Metro Police Chief Jacquelyn Gwinn-Villaroel was leaving a speaking engagement early on the morning of April 10, 2023, when she looked at her phone.
"Active aggressor, Old National Bank," the text message said.
Within moments, Gwinn-Villaroel — then the interim chief of LMPD — had the devastating confirmation.
Cory Galloway and Nick Wilt were the first officers on scene. Footage from Wilt's body-worn camera released the day after the shooting shows him driving, with Galloway in the passenger seat, as they pull up and are fired upon while still in their cruiser.
Wilt, in his fourth day on the job, was shot in the head on his way up the steps of the building. Several minutes later, Galloway shot and killed Sturgeon a short time later.
Wilt was rushed to UofL Hospital for brain surgery, leaving him in critical condition for weeks. He even battled pneumonia.
"I am so pleased to know that Officer Galloway and Officer Wilt didn't flinch," Gwinn-Villaroel said. "They went to that scene — arrived there in three minutes — and they engaged that shooter and stopped that threat."
The road to recovery has been a long, arduous and painful for Wilt, but, in the last 12 months, those prayers have been answered. He was one of several officers honored that day, remembering a devastating day for all Louisvillians that could have been even worse.
"I appreciate what they do every day," Gwinn-Villaroel said. "I appreciate them coming to work and doing the great work and serving the community.
"I just really want Louisvillians to truly recognize how resilient we are as a city, how your officers showed up that day."
Within moments, Gwinn-Villaroel had the devastating confirmation.
Kentucky governor recalls 'evil' of Old National Bank mass shooting, a tragic day that hit home
By: Scott Reynolds
Governors always get the call when there's been a mass shooting in their state. They show up at the scene, speak with first responders, console victims' families and survivors, and try their best to present a face of calm leadership in communities shattered by gun violence.
On April 10, 2023, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear got that call. Sitting in Frankfort, he learned there'd just been a mass shooting 50 miles away in Louisville, and the devastation was personal.
"Some days it feels like it was 10 years ago," Beshear said in an interview last month. "Some days, it feels like it was 10 minutes ago."
Beshear knew just about everyone at Old National Bank, from the greeter to the CEO. He ran his campaign for Kentucky attorney general at the bank's location on Main Street in downtown Louisville.
"I had been a client back when I was a lawyer and it was filled with a bunch of really good friends of mine," Beshear said, fighting back tears.
Beshear kept trying to reach his friends at the bank on the way to Louisville to no avail.
"I still remember walking into the command center and looking at a friend across the room who had been inside," Beshear said. "And he just shook his head, and I knew."
On April 10, 2023, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear got a call he'll remember forever.
Bill letting police take guns from people in 'crisis' stalls in Kentucky legislature
By: Marcus Green
Kentucky lawmakers didn't take action this year on a bill that would let police seek court orders to temporarily take firearms from people deemed a threat to themselves or others.
Introduced in January, the bipartisan Senate Bill 13 failed to advance after it was assigned to the Senate's Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection Committee in March. The legislature returns Friday for its final two days.
The measure is "dead," its chief sponsor, Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Fruit Hill, told WDRB News last week. But he said the years-long effort to pass "crisis aversion and rights retention," or CARR, legislation in Kentucky took several steps forward.
More lawmakers back the bill than have said so publicly, said Westerfield, who has been outspoken about the challenges of passing gun-related legislation in the Republican-dominated General Assembly. The GOP holds supermajorities in both chambers.
"It would have been difficult even if this wasn't an election year," he said, "because the gun groups and Second Amendment advocacy groups do a great job of scaring legislators into not doing their job."
Senate Bill 13, dubbed a "crisis aversion and rights retention" measure, stalled in a committee. Its sponsor says he's optimistic similar legislation will pass in the future.
New long rifle program helps make sure Louisville police officers aren’t outgunned, LMPD says
By: Jason Riley and Valerie Chinn
Connor Sturgeon, a 25-year-old employee of Old National Bank, was armed with an AR-15 when he opened fire on coworkers downtown on April 10, 2023. He killed five people and wounded several more — and sprayed bullets at Wilt and his partner as they approached.
Wilt was struck in the head and rushed to UofL Hospital for brain surgery. He was in critical condition for weeks.
At that time, Louisville police faced more hurdles to get a long rifle for on-the-job use than Sturgeon, who legally bought his weapon four days earlier in a short transaction at a local gun dealer. Upon arriving at the scene on East Main Street near Louisville Slugger Field, Wilt's partner, Officer Cory Galloway, grabbed his personally-owned long rifle out of the cruiser. Galloway ultimately used it to shoot and kill Sturgeon.
Over the last year, LMPD has provided more than 500 long rifles to officers at no cost and will hand out about 200 more this year, Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey said in a recent interview. Officers who are first responders have been prioritized in getting the weapons first.
Officers also must complete 40 hours of rifle training and have their weapon approved by the department based on several guidelines.
The decision to provide long guns and handguns to officers, at a cost of around $1 million, was made by former Chief Erika Shields prior to the Old National Bank shooting even though the department hadn't begun to distribute them. In October 2022, LMPD stopped requiring officers to buy their own handguns.
"It means a lot to say that you can come work for us and you are going to get everything you need to do your job safely and effectively," Humphrey said. "We want to make sure that everybody who is capable and willing to do this job to serve the public has no cost of entry into doing that. Public service shouldn't be something you have to pay to enter into."
Louisville Metro Police officers haven’t always had access to such high-powered firearms – a concern highlighted last April, when Officer Nick Wilt responded to a mass shooting downtown armed only with a handgun.
LMPD Officer Nick Wilt visits WDRB newsroom, does weather with Marc Weinberg as he continues recovery
By: Stephan Johnson
Louisville Metro Police Officer Nick Wilt made a special visit with his family to the WDRB newsroom last month as he continues to recover from injuries suffered when responding to the Old National Bank mass shooting.
There were a lot of smiles when Wilt and his family spent several hours at WDRB, sharing updates on everything from Wilt's health to plans for the future.
Wilt and his brothers, Zach and Alex, their mother, Jennifer, and aunt, Beth, were met at the back door by Marc Weinberg and Stephan Johnson to start the tour. After a meet-and-greet in the newsroom, it was on to Studio A and the real fun.
Wilt was all smiles as he tried his hand at doing weather with Weinberg.
"It was definitely neat to see behind-the-scenes of what goes down and how it all works and getting used to ... pointing at the screen," Alex Wilt said.
Although Weinberg was the instructor, he didn't make it easy.
"It's harder than it looks," Alex Wilt said. "And then when you got Marc tricking you, it makes it even harder."
Louisville Metro Police Officer Nick Wilt made a special visit with his family to the WDRB newsroom last month as he continues to recover from injuries suffered when responding to the Old National Bank mass shooting.
Old National Bank Foundation donates more than $1M, looking for 'right response' to mass shooting
By: Valerie Chinn
After the horrific year at Old National Bank, its foundation has stepped up its efforts to help nonprofit organizations across Louisville. Tommy Wallace, president of commercial bank at Old National Bank, said the foundation has donated more than $1.3 million over the years.
On top of that, they started a new project after the mass shooting.
"We started the Love for Louisville initiative," Wallace said. "It was focused on coming up with the right response to support the survivors and those that supported us in our greatest time of need."
The foundation donated $1 million to those impacted by the mass shooting, with $600,000 going to the "Love for Louisville ONB Survivors Fund."
"It focused on setting up a survivors fund for the families of the victims, supporting the American Red Cross, University Hospital and their trauma unit and the Louisville Metro Police Foundation," Wallace said.
The foundation also donated $10,000 to the Muhammad Ali Center and $3,000 to the Louisville Metro Police Foundation both to honor Officer Nick Wilt, who has a long road to recovery after being shot in the head that day on steps of the bank office in downtown Louisville.
The foundation also donated $10,000 to the Community Foundation for the Chickasaw Park shooting victims.
Twelve months later at Old National Bank, time is helping heal but never forgetting.
"I think one of the things is the importance of LMPD," Wallace said. "They were heroes. They showed up. They saved lives that day."
Long before the tragic mass shooting April 10, 2023, Old National Bank had been donating thousands of dollars to the Louisville community through its foundation.
Training paid off for first responders in Old National Bank shooting, emergency services director says
By: Monica Harkins
Louisville Metro Emergency Services oversees 911 dispatchers and EMS but also helps coordinate the city's overall response.
One of its key roles is getting a mobile command center set up, an RV outfitted for the needs of critical response situations like active shooters, SWAT situations and even natural disasters.
On the day of the Old National Bank shooting, the RV was parked one block down from the bank at Jackson and Main streets.
"You hope all that training is a waste of time," said Jody Meiman, executive director of LMES. "But that day, it wasn't."
At the 911 dispatch center at MetroSafe downtown on April 10, call-takers were trying to help keep people inside the bank calm, fielding additional 911 calls and directing police with the new details as they came in.
"That was an incident that day that we had to look at our responders' mental health, maybe where we hadn't had to look at it before in the past," Meiman said.
They had off-duty dispatchers volunteer to come in and help relieve some of the people who had just taken calls, and there was behavioral health providers who showed up that day to help talk dispatchers through what they just experienced. While dispatchers are used to tragedy in their daily work, hearing pleas for help from people on their worst days, it was an unexpected call when the shooter's mother called 911 to try and stop her son.
"There was a lot of sadness," he said. "My heart goes out to the families. We've got to look at it and what we can do different next time if, God forbid, this situation happened again."
Louisville Metro Emergency Services oversees 911 dispatchers and EMS but also helps coordinate the city's overall response.
Head of police foundation has bonded with Wilt family through tragedies
By: Stephan Johnson
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Louisville Metro Police officer Nick Wilt's road to recovery has not always been smooth.
That's why the Louisville Metro Police Foundation has been there to help and support the Wilt family.
"I am so blessed to be part of the community putting their arms around the Wilts," said Rebecca Grignon Reker, executive director of Louisville Metro Police Foundation.
For the last 12 months, Grignon Reker has formed a bond with Officer Wilt and his family.
Grignon Reker said, "Jennifer and I talk a few times a week."
"Rebecca and I bonded right away because we're both widows obviously," said Jennifer Wilt, Officer Wilt's mother. "My husband died in a very different way and more recently, so we bonded right away on that because that's something you just you don't want to have in common, but you do."
Grignon Reker is executive director of the Louisville Metro Police Foundation and the widow of fallen hero -- Officer Peter Grignon. She said, "It's amazing to be able to carry on Peter's legacy by blessing another law enforcement family because that's what we're supposed to do is look out for each other."
And these days, Rebecca spends a lot of time looking out for the Wilt.
"When I first met him, he was in a hospital bed. And now his eyes are sparkling. He's making jokes. He's giving people high fives. I mean, there's a world of difference and it's miraculous," said Grignon Reker.
Last April, Officer Wilt was one of the first to respond to the mass shooting at Old National Bank. It was his fourth day on the job, but there was no hesitation from Officer Wilt.
Grignon Reker said, "These are our heroes. These are people that go out every day ready to make the supreme sacrifice for us. They run into danger while we're all running out. And that's what Nick did for us."
Officer Wilt has spent the last year recovering after being shot in the head. He has also received several awards and honors.
To donate to Officer Wilt through the Police Foundation, click here.
LMPD officer Nick Wilt
On April 10, 2023, the nightmare that had gripped countless schools, businesses and communities across America arrived at home.
More Old National Bank Coverage:
- Old National Bank Mass Shooting — Remembering the lives lost and those forever changed
- LMPD Officer Nick Wilt visits WDRB newsroom, does weather with Marc Weinberg as he continues recovery
- Old National Bank Foundation donates more than $1M, looking for 'right response' to mass shooting
- New long rifle program helps make sure Louisville police officers aren’t outgunned, LMPD says
- Louisville officers running toward Old National Bank shooter 'didn't flinch,' police chief says
- Louisville's mayor pleads for change, remains hopeful 1 year removed from mass shooting
- Survivor of Old National Bank mass shooting attempts to move forward, battling the memories 1 year later
- Head of police foundation has bonded with Wilt family through tragedies
- Kentucky governor recalls 'evil' of Old National Bank mass shooting, a tragic day that hit home
- Training paid off for first responders in Old National Bank shooting, emergency services director says
- A year after his life changed forever, Louisville police Officer Nick Wilt already making 'major progress'
- 1 year after the Old National Bank shooting took her husband, Louisville woman cherishes the life they built
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